So this article came out of necessity for me and I thought I would share my thoughts with you all on this subject. Please note I am no lawyer nor do I assume to know all the in’s and out’s here, if you have specific legal needs please seek a professional.
Whenever I place my images online at any site I try to ensure I have a link back to my own site, that I place a copyright on the image itself and include the copyright in the meta data. This was just how I worked and I was lucky I was doing it this way, because a while back I did a simple Google search for my name and I found some of my pictures being offered up by a website for background images and wallpaper images. They even had the copyright and link back to my site on the page. What to do?
Not having a big legal staff but wanting to protect my images for theft I needed to do something, so I went and ahead and started researching. I found that first line of defense in most of these cases seemed to be sending a cease and desist letter to the infringing company. I know this can sound intimidating but it’s really not, it’s a simple letter telling the company or individual that they need to stop using your images or risk being sued.
In my case this seems to have done the trick, the company removed my images from the site and they have also since been removed from Google. I never received an apology from the company of any acknowledgment of wrong doing but it did solve the issue for me. You may want to push this further depending on the use your photo was put forward with, in that case you may want to ask for reimbursement for time used, or even possibly sue the infringing company, as these are all valid options you have at your disposal.
Just remember that your photos are your hard work and have value, don’t let people run you over and use your work for their gain. If they want to use your work they should be prepared to pay you for the time you put in. Fight for what is yours.
